Sheet cutting and inspecting means



Aug. 25, 1953 Filed Sept. 8, 1947 C. W. MARTIN EI'AL SHEET CUTTING ANDINSPECTING MEANS 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS.

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SHEET CUTTING AND INSPECTING MEANS Filed Sept. 8, 194' 3 Sheets-Sheet 3mveu-roas.

C4 74 IKMWFrMG mmw ATTORN EYS Patented Aug. 25, 1953 SHEET CUTTING ANDINSPECTING MEANS Carl W. Martin, Charles W. Beck, and Joseph W. Pick,Middletown, Ohio, assignors to Armco Steel Corporation, a corporation ofOhio Application September 8, 1947, Serial No. 772,728

7 Claims.

Since the advent of modern cold rolling mills and methods, most iron andsteel sheet stock is made in strip form, of sheet width and'gauge, andis handled in coils.

Mechanism has been developed for handling these coils of finished sheetstock, cutting them into sheet lengths, and inspecting and sorting thesheets. These mechanisms comprise essentially a decoiler for the coils,a roller leveler for the sheet stock, a flying shear for cutting thestock into sheet lengths without interrupting its movement, aninspection table over which the sheets pass, and a suitable sheetsorting and stacking means wherein those sheets which pass inspectionare separated from those which do not and wherein both classes of sheetsare formed into stacks.

- and this could only be accomplished by hand labor at extraordinarilyhigh costs.

The manufacturers of sheets would thus have to turn the sheets over byhand inorder to meet some kinds of inspection and stencilingrequirements. The users of sheets are unwilling to absorb the cost orprovide the labor for turning sheets, so that it sometimes becamenecessary It will be understood that these stacks are of great mass andweight. Furthermore, the individual sheets are usually of large size andheavy, though of relatively thin gauge. It will also be understood bythose skilled in the art that the iron or steel sheet stock as finishedon the cold mills or temper mills is not the same as to both itssurfaces, but has a prime side and a reverse side.

The requirements for sheets, especially deep drawing sheets forautomobile body work and similar applications, are steadily becomingmore strict. In drawing these sheets, 'various types of presses areused. In some presses the dies are arranged in such manner that theprime side of the sheets must be located upwardly. In other presses theposition of the dies requires a reverse side up position. It is also thepractice to stencil the sheets with the maker's name, and

there are various requirements as to the position of the stenciling.

Yet again, there are various requirements for inspection, some usesrequiring inspection on the prime side, and some on the reverse side.A-few special uses require inspection of both sides.

These various requirements, changing as to different specific uses, forma large number of specific requirements. For example, one sheet user mayrequire the sheets in a stack to be prime side up and stenciled on theupside. Another may require the prime side up but specify that thestencil shall be on thereverse side. For another use, it may bespecified that the prime side of the sheets shall be down with thestenciling on the reverse side or the prime side as the case may be. Theinspection requirements simply multiply these variations.

The prime side of the sheet stock is regularly located to the inside ofthe coil. In the currently available equipment, which has been broadlycharacterized above, it was only possible 'for the manufacturer, inorder to meet stacking requirements, to turn the sheets not once buttwice. The principal object of this invention is the provision of meansand a method whereby any combination of the factors above may be met inpractice.

It is an object of the invention to provide a means and method wherebyboth sides or either side of the sheet stock may be inspected or stampedand stenciled without the labor of turning sheets over.

, It is an object of the invention to provide a means and method wherebyfinished sheets may be stacked either side up as desired by thecustomer, without-the labor of turning the sheets over and irrespectiveof the requirements for inspection and stenciling.

These and other objects of the invention which will be set forthhereinafter or will be apparent to one skilled in the art upon readingthese specifications, we accomplish bythat construe tion and arrangementof parts and in those procedures of which we shall now describe anexemplary embodiment. Reference is made to the accompanying drawingswherein:

Figures 1 and 1a, taken together constitute a side elevation of ourapparatus in one of its forms.

Figure 2 is a side elevation on an enlarged scale on the uncoiling endof this apparatus.

Figure 3 is a plan view of the looper table illustrated in Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a side elevation of another form of our apparatus.

3 passes next to a roller leveler indicated at B and thence to a flyingshear 5 which cuts it into pieces of sheet length. These pieces passindividually over an inspection table in the form of a conveyor 6 andthence to pairs of feed rolls in a device indicated at i. These feedrolls constitute the first element of a sheet sorting and stackingmechanism. This mechanism is provided with a switch member 8, serving todeliver first grade sheets to an overhead conveyor 9 and to divertunsatisfactory sheets to a position beneath the conveyor where they arestacked upon a suitable platform in provided with stacking guides andstops. The first grade sheets are delivered by the conveyor 9 to astacking means indicated generally at H, comprising suitable stock andguide means and a bed or base capable of being raised and lowered.Various types of sheet sorting and stacking means may be employed suchas those set forth in United States Letters Patent No. 2,417,145 toWard, or Letters Patent No. 2,315,003 to Martin et al.

The remainder of the elements thus far referred to in Figures 1 and 1aare conventional in form and need not be further described.

It will be understood that the sheet sorting and stacking means areunder the control of an inspector or inspectors watching the sheets asdelivered by the shear.

Hitherto, in apparatus of this type the sheet stock has been withdrawnfrom the coil in the overhead position. The coil l2 would turn in aclockwise fashion on the mandrel I and the sheet stock would move to theright in Figure 1 from the topmost part of the coil. It is obvious thatthe machine could deliver sheets to the stacking means with that surfaceuppermost only wh ch was outermost in the coil. It is equally obviousthat the sheets would travel across the inspection table 6 in this sameposition and could be inspected only on the upper surface. Ifinspection, stenciling or stacking was reouired with the sheets in anyother position, they would have to be laboriously turned by hand.

In one aspect of the practice of our invention, we arrange for thedecoiling of the sheet stock in the opposite fashion. As shown in Figure1, the coil I2 is placed on the mandrel l in such a way that the sheetstock may be withdrawn as at 12a from the underside of the coil andcarried through a pair of driven pinch rolls l3. located in a properposition to receive 'it and move it toward the roller leveler 4. Inmoving to the roller leveler, the sheet stock passes over the table andguide mechanism H which will later be described. The pinch rolls l3 are,of course, driven.

We also make another addition to the apparatus, which is a platform orcatwalk l5, preferably provided with a hand-railing structure l6, andlocated near the decoiling station. It may conveniently be located abovethe pinch rolls l3 and supported in part at least on the pinch rollframe. This device will hereinafter be referred to as the inspectorspulpit, and it will be occupied by one or more inspectors.

It will now be apparent that this arrangement permits inspection ofeither or both sides of the sheet stock as it is being uncoiled. Byobserving the outer surface of the material in the coil l2 at or nearthe top of the coil, the inspector will judge and pass upon what hasbeen called the reverse side of the sheet stock, namely that side whichwas coiled outermost in the coil l2. By observing the surface of thematerial as it leaves the coil, either in a position adjacent the coilitself, or as the material passes across the table 14, the inspectorwill judge and pass upon the prime side of the material, namely thatside which was wound innermost in the coil and which could not hithertobe inspected at all on the known apparatus.

Stenciling and marking of the individual sheet lengths may also be doneat this point, either by the inspectors who may be provided with stampsand stencils on long handles, or by means of automatic apparatus whichwill print the desired indicia upon the surface of the sheet stock atthe desired intervals. It will be understood that if the marking is doneon the surface of the coil the reverse side of the sheet stock will bemarked. If the marking is done on the material as it leaves the coil, asat Ma, or as it passes over the table M. the marking will appear on theprime side of the sheet.

The inspectors will be observing uncut lengths of material, as will beevident; but means to indicate to them what the actual sheet lengthswill be is readily provided in various ways. For example, signallingmeans such as a flashin light may be correlated with the operation ofthe flying shear 5 in such a way as to indicate to the inspectors whenthe end points of unit sheet lengths pass a given point, either on thesurface of the coil II or on the material as it is being decoiled andled away therefrom. In this way the inspector or inspectors can stampany substandard sheet length with a mark which will signal to theoperator of the sheet separating and stacking device that these sheetsshould be shunted to the rejects pile. It is also readily possible toprovide controls for the sheet separating and stacking means in theinspectors 'pulpit l5, which controls are provided with a table, may bedispensed with. Otherwise an operator for the selecting and stackingmechanism may be stationed at or near the table 6. His duties will notinclude that of inspection,

' but will merely involve operating the sheet selector to shunt to therejects stacker those sheet lengths which have been marked by theinspector or inspectors as unsatisfactory.

Referring now to Figures 2 and 3, we have shown at I! the stand for thedriven pinch rolls l3. At the coil side of this stand there is a guideI8 which assists in leading the material between the pinch rolls.Between the pinch rolls and a table I! provided with adjustable sideguide elements 20, we provide the table ll which has been referred toabove. This table may take various forms. In one form we provide it witha pair of platforms If and 22 which are pivoted at their outer ends, andare operated by suitable means such as fluid cylinders 23 and 24. Theplatforms when in the upraised position assist in threading the machineand in conducting the sheet stock from the pinch rolls I; to the tablel9 and thence to the first pair of rolls la of the roller leveler. It isdesirable to-provide for some slack in the sheet material between theroller leveler and the pinch rolls, and after the threading of thedevice, the platforms 2| and 22 may be lowered. by their pressurecylinders so as to permit a looping of the material.

Decoiling cold rolled sheet stock from the bottom of the coil is alsoadvantageous from an operating standpoint in another way. When itbecomes necessary to stop the machine before a coil has been completelyunwound, any overrunning of the mandrel I will, in the case of decoilingfrom beneath, simply tend to form a bight oi the sheet stock below thecoil, while the weight of the sheet stock itself keeps the coil tightlywound. An opposite action occurs when decoiling from the top of thecoil, under which circumstances the overrunning of the mandrel will tendto loosen one or more convolutions of the coil which may give rise to amarring of the polished surface of the sheet stock when the apparatus isstarted up again. i

' In-Figures 2 to 5 inclusive, the inspector's pulpit has not beenillustrated for the sake of simplicity,'but will be understood to bepresent as described above. s

I With the apparatus thus far described, either or both sides of thesheet stock may be inspected,

' either or both sides of it may be stenciled with used selectively todecoil in either the upper orlower positions; We have illustrated such amechanism in Figures 4 and 5. Here we have shown a pinch roll stand 25in which pinch rells I 3 iordecoiling from the bottom'oi the coil aremounted in bearings in suitable ways. The bearings for theupperipinchroll are controlled through levers, one of which is indicated at 26 by apair of fluid cylinders, one of which is indi- 6' bodiments, what weclaim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In combination for the purpose described, a decoiling mandrel, a rollstand having two pairs of pinch rolls mounted therein, one pair beingadapted to receive material withdrawn from the bottom of a coil of sheetstock mounted on said mandrel and the other pair being located toreceive material withdrawn from the top of a coil of sheet stock somounted.

2. The structure claimed in claim 1 including an inspection pulpitlocated at a point adjacent the said decoiling mandrel.

4. In a device for the purpose described, a-

decoiling mandrel, a roll stand having two sets of pinch rolls mountedtherein, one set being adapted to receive material withdrawn from thebottom of a coil of sheet stock mounted on said mandrel and the otherset being located to receive material withdrawn from the top ofa coil ofsheet stock so mounted.

5. In a device for the purpose described, a decoiling mandrel, a rollstand having two sets of pinch rolls mounted therein, one set beingadapted to receive material withdrawn from the bottom of a coil of sheetstock mounted on said mandrel and the other set being located to receivematerial withdrawn from the top of a coil of sheet stock so mounted, anda table 10- cated to receive material from said sets of pinch rolls,said table being movable to two positions, one to receive stockfroinLthe lower of said sets or pinch rolls, and one to receive stockfrom table at'the same level regardless of the recated at 21. We alsoprovide an upper pair of pinch rolls 28 suitably-located to receive thesheet stock from the top of the coil. The bearings of these rolls arealso. mounted in ways, and the bearings 01 the upper roll are controlledthrough levers a by pressure cylinders 30. A table 3| is provided, whichtableis adapted to be moved to positions for receiving the sheet stockeither from the lower pair 0! pinch-rolls I3 or from the upper 0! pinchrolls 23; This can be accomplished .in various ways, one of them beingto pivot the table to a suitable support as at 32 and provide a fluidcylinder 33 or other means whereby the table can be bodily-moved from anupp r position shown in solid lines. to a lower position shown in dottedlines. The table may-be provided with movable platforms, as describedabove.

ceiving position of said table.

7; The structure claimed in claim 5 wherein an inspection pulpit islocated between the decoiling mandrel and the table and above sheetstock withdrawn from the coil and passed over the table, whereby theouter surface of the coil may be inspected prior to dec'oiling, and theinner surfaceof the coil may be inspected upon pas- JOSEPH w. PICK.

References Cited in the file" of this patent UNITED STATES PA'I'ENTSMatthews. Jan. 16, 1945

